


the real you

by crazywineaunt



Series: Captive Prince Drabbles: The X-Men Edition [1]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat, X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Angst and Drama, Drama, Drama & Romance, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Guilt, Idiots in Love, Insecurity, Kissing, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutant Powers, Mutants, One Shot, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Shapeshifting, Superpowers, Trust, soft, unbeta'd we die like real men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazywineaunt/pseuds/crazywineaunt
Summary: “I prefer the real Ancel.”Ancel shifted back to his younger human form, auburn eyebrow raised.Berenger stared at Ancel. How could he make this any clearer?“I said –,” Berenger paused awkwardly, “the real Ancel.”
Relationships: Ancel/Berenger (Captive Prince)
Series: Captive Prince Drabbles: The X-Men Edition [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942264
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	the real you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dancyon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancyon/gifts).



> This oneshot is just an excuse to write this X-Men First Class scene: [Magneto & Mystique Kiss Scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhtzXMqpbu0)  
> but with Berenger and Ancel because I can. I'd recommend watching it so you have some context for this fic ha.
> 
> Ancel: Mystique (shapeshifting)  
> Berenger: Rogue (involuntary ability to absorb and sometimes also remove the memories, physical strength, and superpowers of anyone he touches, and skin producing involuntary high-voltage jolts)  
> Laurent: telepathy and diamond skin (basically Emma Frost :D )
> 
> Special thanks to @dancyon for coming up with her wild headcanons, you're crazy and i love you for it bish.

Berenger was not having a good day. Scratch that, he wasn’t having a good week. Snatches of largely unfruitful meetings he had been in all day swirled around in his head in a sweltering mess. He and Laurent were trying to find common ground with the human government; they had made laughable progress so far. Not that there wasn’t common ground to be found, but he hadn’t anticipated just how much red tape the government was willing to wrap around itself, so that they would have the hardest time possible navigating it’s twisting halls.

It was only due to Laurent’s sharp mind and veiled telepathic abilities that they hadn’t fallen off an administrative cliff yet. The former president’s nephew had only to spend mere minutes sweet talking officials in a banquet hall to gauge their true intentions with every interaction. They never suspected the pretty blonde youth could possibly be a mutant hidden in plain sight, too eager at the chance to speak with him to think too hard over his invasive questions. With such a powerful ally, Berenger was frustrated with how long it was taking to form a peace treaty with the humans.

Berenger paused outside his hotel room, card hovering over the sensor.

Well, it probably hadn’t helped negotiations when Berenger had lost his cool when Councillor Guion had taken one look at Ancel and called him a whore to his face.

Now, Berenger liked to think he had developed a respectable amount of control over his mutation over the years. He never involuntarily drained people’s life force now.

He remembered the look of hurt and uncertainty that had flashed across Ancel’s face, before assuming his untouchable public mask once again.

Berenger’s hand tightened around the card.

Almost never.

He would never admit it openly, but it had been oddly satisfying to see Guion’s face growing paler the longer he kept his bare hand wrapped around his neck. It wasn’t a part of himself he liked to let himself indulge in often.

He sighed and unclenched his hand, finally swiping the card and pushing the door open as soon as it blinked green. Berenger made a beeline for the desk in the corner, eyes gleaming with book lust. He was ready to lose himself in his books, maybe even tire himself out enough to get in decent hours of sleep. The book was in his hand, ready to be consumed, when somebody cleared their throat.

Berenger tensed and sprang from his chair, book forgotten as he sprinted across the room, flicking the lights on with one hand as he pulled a gun out with the other, pointing it in the direction of the cough. He exhaled when he saw who it was, putting his gun back in its holster.

“I think you’re in the wrong room.” Berenger said dryly, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Ancel’s amused face. He couldn’t afford to let his eyes wander, not with Ancel. The man could destroy Berenger if he had a mind to, and Berenger would let him.

“No,” The shapeshifter sprawled out in his bedsheets smirked at him, head tilting to let more hair spill tantalizingly over his bare chest, “I believe I’m right where I want to be.”

Berenger had to nip this – whatever this was – in the bud. He made his way over to the foot of his bed, trying valiantly to ignore the heat creeping up his neck. Berenger would be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to Ancel. But those perfect cupid lips, the heavy-lidded emerald eyes, the alabaster skin – everything, it was all an illusion. Even if Berenger could get past the fake skin that Ancel put on every day like a favourite sweater, it wasn’t the only facet of the shapeshifter that wasn’t real. Ancel was a professional at deception and performance, to squeeze every drop of information out of his marks ( ~~and to mold himself to his clients’ desires at his old ‘job’, before he started spying for Laurent’s organization, but Berenger didn’t think of that too long, for his own sanity~~ ). Berenger didn’t blame him, he was no stranger to doing whatever it took to survive in an unforgiving world.

It did mean that Berenger couldn’t rely on the hints that Ancel was interested in him for the past few months. Berenger had privately fallen for his quick wit and uncanny intelligence. More than that, it was the snatches of kindness he witnessed when Ancel thought no one was looking too closely. Berenger had assumed in the start that he was exceedingly materialistic, given his obsession with jewellery. As it turned out, Ancel used most of the jewels he acquired to buy out mutant prostitute’s contracts.

Heavy emerald earrings sparkled from Ancel’s ear lobes. _Most_ of the jewels. Berenger smiled despite himself. They suited him.

Berenger internally berated his traitorous thought process. No. If Ancel’s flirtations with Berenger were pretend, Berenger had no interest in pursuing a relationship. He had to deal with enough lies in his negotiations, he couldn’t handle a lover who held the question of whether his love was real or not suspended over Berenger’s neck like a guillotine that could fall at any moment.

No matter how brilliant or warm said lover was.

Berenger sat down on the mattress, keeping a careful distance between them.

“Ancel, please. I want to go to bed. Maybe in a few –”

Ancel frowned, before a look of understanding spread across his face and he held up a hand. Moments later, an older, more refined version of Ancel’s previous form was in his place, with fuller lips and wider hips. Berenger blinked.

“How about now?” Ancel said.

Berenger sighed and dragged a hand across his face. More lies. It was always like this with Ancel. One step forward and two steps back.

“I prefer the real Ancel.”

Ancel shifted back to his younger human form, auburn eyebrow raised.

Berenger stared at Ancel. How could he make this any clearer?

“I said –,” Berenger paused awkwardly, “the real Ancel.”

There was a flicker of apprehension in Ancel’s eyes now. His breaths came faster and heavier with each tense second that passed. Berenger panicked, moving closer unconsciously and took Ancel’s hand in both of his.

“I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to – If you don’t want to, that’s alright,” Berenger said, keeping his tone low and soothing. As much as he wanted to see Ancel without any walls between them, it came second to Ancel’s comfort.

Ancel’s breathing was already slowing down at Berenger’s touch. After a minute, he gently extracted his hand from Berenger’s hold and gave him a small smile.

“No, it’s alright.”

“You don’t have to –”

Ancel held Berenger’s gaze, green eyes as hard as real emeralds with their intensity. Berenger didn’t know how he had ever doubted Ancel’s sincerity with that gaze boring a hole through his skull.

“I want to.”

The transformation this time was slower, almost as if Ancel was debating over each patch of indigo skin, before letting it take over. His hair seemed like it was catching fire, a more vibrant red seeping through the old auburn shade. A long scar ran across his face, from his left eyebrow, ending just below his chin. Ancel’s boldness from before was gone as well; he gathered the sheets closer around his frame, jade gaze flitting up at Berenger, before averting it. Berenger sat there, struck speechless by the vision before him.

Ancel was – Ancel was a vision.

Ancel must have mistook his stunned silence for disgust, Berenger could already hear the tell-tale sound of shifting skin.

“No, don’t –”

He raised a hand, something inside him breaking when Ancel flinched back. Berenger let his hand hover around Ancel’s cheek, almost touching but not quite, in a strange pantomime of cupping it.

“You’re perfect,” Berenger breathed. Closer now, he could see flecks of white in Ancel’s wide eyes where pupils should have been, scattered like diamonds in green velvet cushions. It would be so easy to lean in, capture those lips in his. He almost did, before his eyes caught on a bleak grey strand of hair, in sharp contrast to the vibrant red.

Berenger recoiled hard, hand falling back to his side.

The gleaming eyes hardened, white spreading until solid diamonds were glaring back at Berenger.

“Could you pass me my robe?”, Ancel gritted out, torso leaning away from Berenger.

Berenger tried not to let the hurt from the immediate rejection show on his face. Of course, it made sense that Ancel wouldn’t want Berenger touching him. Not after what happened the last and only time Berenger had done it.

Wordlessly, Berenger held out Ancel’s robe, eyes downcast in shame. Elegant blue fingers ripped it from his hands, and Ancel slid out of the bed in one fluid motion, tying the robe closed around himself in jerky, barely restrained movements.

He couldn’t let Ancel leave without apologizing. Berenger shouldn’t have assumed he could go to touch him like that.

“I’m sorr–”

Ancel whipped around, eyes flashing. Literally. Even furious, he looked beautiful. Berenger gulped. Maybe even more so.

“You’re _sorry?_ That’s the best you’ve got?”

“I –”

Ancel gave the knot he was tying one final, sharp tug before he was stalking up to Berenger, until they were toe to toe. Even with the inches Berenger had on him, at the moment it felt like Ancel was towering over him like a raging god of fire.

“For months, you’ve been sending me mixed signals. Every time I tried to reciprocate in kind, you kept running away.” Ancel paused, chest heaving. “You’re the only person who made me feel like I was _real_ , you even asked to see my true form, something no one has asked of me before. For once, I didn’t have to hide.” The diamond eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “Not that it matters, you’re repulsed. You didn’t have to spare my feelings by lying.” Then, quieter, “I don’t know why I expected you to be different.”

Every interaction from the past month was running through Berenger’s mind, only in a new light. All this time – all this time he had thought it was Ancel messing with him, when really - God, he was so stupid.

Ancel was still glaring up at him. Berenger reached out, and when Ancel didn’t make any move to stop him, he took a hold of the grey strand of hair curling around Ancel’s ear.

“I did this,” Berenger murmured. Ancel visibly deflated at his tone, eyes softening and reverting back to their green shade.

“You – what?”

Ancel looked confused for a second, before understanding dawned. He reached up and grabbed Berenger’s wrist, grip tightening when Berenger tried to free himself.

“Berenger, look at me.”

Ancel waited until Berenger caught and held his gaze.

“It was a mistake, and I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“I almost killed you!”

Ancel waved his free hand. “That’s neither here nor there.”

“How can you be so nonchalant about –”

“Because I trust you.” Ancel hesitated then, the naked doubt in his eyes made Berenger want to smack himself for being so stupid. “The only question is, do you trust me?”

Berenger stared at him. He didn’t deserve this man. “Of course I trust you, and I wasn’t lying before about you being perfect. You are, and you’re so much more than that. You’re charming, and smart, and so _kind,_ and –”

“Shut up, you absolute idiot.” A flush was creeping up that lovely blue neck, but he didn’t have much time to admire it before Ancel was surging forward and pressing his lips to Berenger’s. Berenger stumbled back a few steps in surprise, before finding his footing. Ancel’s breath smelt like those premium mint chocolates he kept swiping from the hotel’s storage. His hands found Ancel’s hips, and he smiled at the small sound Ancel made when Berenger pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. Ancel shifted impossibly closer, slotting his leg between both of Berenger’s. Berenger groaned, mind going blissfully blank.

A jolt of electricity sparked to life, travelling from Berenger’s toes to where their lips were connected, causing them to spring apart in literal shock, eyes wide. Ancel’s hair was staticky, still sparking in some places.

“Oh my god, I am so sorr – Why are you laughing?” Berenger frowned.

Ancel was doubled over, giggles growing louder at Berenger’s visible confusion.

“I guess you could say that – that our kiss was _electric_ ,” Ancel gasped.

Berenger pinched the bridge of his nose. “That was terrible, even for you.”

Ancel poked him in the side, eyes sparkling with mirth. “You love it.”

Berenger watched the wide grin on Ancel’s face, body shaking from genuine, unconstrained laughter. He could hear that sound all day.

“I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well if you've made it this far. Thank you for reading! 
> 
> P.S. If it wasn't clear, Berenger's powers mean that sometimes his skin produces involuntary voltage jolts. :D
> 
> Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments <3


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